The Great Pretender (closed)

[SexyVita]

Eli was a quick study, and Val a good, if demanding, teacher, if she did say so herself. But Val knew that it was one thing to practice at home, and another to build the confidence that could only come from taking it to the outside world. A woman needed two things to be truly successful. One was the absolute confidence in her own attractiveness, and the other was the ability to pretend to be shy, modest, and self-effacing when the situation required it. Val couldn't teach those skills at home, she had to take Eli out for her to learn them.

Before they left, Val changed out of her housecoat and into a pale green dress more suitable for being seen in public, and then she and Eli walked out to the car. Eli did very well on the short walk, not trying to hide or anything else that might seem odd or suspicious. That was good, it was a big step towards the second part of Val's equation for success. Val slid into the driver's seat of her car and started the engine. Val and Eli were actually one of the few couples in Springfield Falls to have seperate cars, because despite them working for the same company, their schedules, especially Val's busy social schedule required two vehicles. That and Val had insisted, and Eli had given in and bought her her own car.

"Where are we going?" Eli said quietly.

Val frowned at the gas gauge. "Well, first I think we're going to need to stop at the Texaco. I meant to get gas on the way home tonight, but when John gave me the afternoon off, it slipped my mind," she said, referring to Mr. Grubber by his first name, something even the engineers rarely dared to do. To nearly everyone else at Grubber Aeronautics, he was always Mr. Grubber.

Val pulled into the gas station and across the hose that triggered the bell inside the service station. The Texaco was the closest service station to their house and both Val and Eli had stopped there many times and they knew all the attendants well. Jimmy, one of the regular attendants, dashed over to the car with a smile as Val rolled the window down.

"The usual today, Mrs. Morrison?" he asked politely.

Val shook her head, "Just a fill today, Jimmy. Oh and if you don't mind washing the windshield and the headlights, but I'll save the rest for next time. We have to get over to Clara's and Flora's before they close, so if you can make it fast, I'd appreciate it," she said with a smile for Jimmy.

"Yes, ma'am, you got it," Jimmy said as he started his work. He got the gas started and quickly attended to the windshield and headlights. While he worked around the front of the car, he looked closely at Eli, as if trying to remember if he'd seen her before. When he was done, Val handed him some cash from her purse. Val could tell he was curious about about Eli, but they really were in a bit of a hurry, and Val didn't want Eli to freak out again. Her mention of Clara and Flora was probably already doing a number on her confidence. Clara and Flora were two of Val's best friends and together they ran the small but grandiously named Springfield Falls Dress Emporium. The fact that Clara and Flora had been to the Morrison house many times and knew her husband well was not a recipe to inspire Eli's confidence, but if she could fool them, anyone else would be easy.

Val pulled out of the station and back on to Main Street. The Dress Emporium was on the far side of what passed for "downtown" Springfield Falls. As such they passed the city hall, the police and fire stations, several diners, the church, several more gas stations, a bunch of small shops, including the green grocers, several bakeries, and the butcher shop. Being Friday night, the diners were busy and their was a lot of traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular. Springfield Falls didn't have any stoplights, but there were several all-way stops. Invariably Val, who knew nearly everyone in town, would find someone to wave to at each of these stops. Eli hardly went unnoticed, but no one had the opertunity to express their curiosity.

They finally pulled up in front of the Dress Emporium and Val turned to Eli. "I know I said you could stay in the car if you wanted, and you can, but this will be much simpler, and less suspicious if you come in with me. I won't force you, but you are ready for this. If you can't trust yourself yet, trust my judgement."

 

[DreamingOfMyEx]

It was interesting the way Val deflected Eli's "where are we going" question by speaking of the need for gasoline, but not mentioning Clara and Flora until she was alreay at the service station. Perhaps less time for Eli to think on it too much. Still, going somewhere where nobody knew them would have been much more comforting. Mostly looking straight ahead but recognizing way too many of the people they passed, Eli was reflecting on whether or not this was a good idea. NOT on whether living as a woman was a good idea, she already knew she would rather die than live life as a male - but if it was a good idea to do anything in Springfield Falls. After all, Bedford was only five miles away - even though that might start to be a little rough for two pretty ladies unaccompanied on a late Friday afternoon, soon to be evening. And the much larger Pineville was only 15 miles or so, inhabited mostly by people who moved to the area within the past decade. Still, Jimmy seemed interested (what normal young male wouldn't be) with no sign of recognition, or even a hint of recognition. He would surely be asking around who the woman was with Mrs Morrison. If she was a guest of the Morrisons, hopefully she would be with them at church Sunday morning. Now there was a reason to get up and go to church!

("I know I said you could stay in the car if you wanted, and you can, but this will be much simpler, and less suspicious if you come in with me. I won't force you, but you are ready for this. If you can't trust yourself yet, trust my judgement.")

Eli closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and sighed. Then she leaned to her left, reaching up to adjust the rear view to take another look. Knowing she could be seen from outside the car, she pulled a tissue from the small handbag Val had given her and pretended to dab at one of her eyes, as if there were something irritating it. In reality, she needed to assure herself she would pass for a woman.

"Alright. I'm ready. I hope."

Emerging from the car, she was almost bowled over by two small children who had darted across the street, chased after by their exasperated young parents. Bill and Sue Wright - basically decent people who had married young and had no idea how to properly raise children. Sue was a native of Springfield Falls. Bill sold cars in Pineville.

Eli, despite excelling in her first day of charm school, was teetering on heels, her arms flailing in an attempt to grab something before she fell. As it so happened, she grabbed Bill at the same time Bill grabbed her to prevent her from falling. Their eyes met, their faces inches apart, Bill seemingly mesmerized by what he was seeing. As clueless Sue continued chasing after the twins ordering them to stop, Bill held on to Eli a bit longer than was necessary to prevent her from falling. Realizing he was holding her too close for too long, Bill whispered "I'm sorry", though he continued to hold her too close for too long.

"That's alright" she smiled, her soft whispered voice reminding him of Marilyn Monroe. She made no move to get away from him, nor to suggest he needed to help his wife with their boys. IN what seemed to be about five minutes, but in reality was probably closer to five seconds, Bill reluctantly released her and stammered something about going to find his family. "Yes, I'm sure they'll need you eventually." And off he hurried to help round up the stampeeding herd of two.

Eli wondered if Bill and Sue were going to make love that evening. If so, would it be his wife he was fucking, or would it be the memory of his encounter with her that inspired his orgasm?

"I'm alright now" Eli said to Val. "More than alright. Let's go see your friends about my new wardrobe."

---

Eli had made a great deal of progress for the few hours she had been learning to be a woman, but at best she had only scratched the surface, and needed Val to discretely guide her throught the shop, sometimes suggesting she try this or that, and other times gesturing when neither of the other women were watching, making it appear Eli knew what she was looking for, what went with what, etc.

 

[SexyVita]

Val held her breath when Bill Wright caught hold of Eli to steady her. It was perfect timing. If Eli had fallen, as her windmilling arms suggested nearly happened, it would have been a blow to Eli's confidence, no matter how much Val would have tried to tell her that it could have happened to anyone. But to be rescued, at just the right moment, by a man who though not a test pilot or someone like Max, was still more man that Eli had been, was more perfect than anything Val could have said or done. And Eli demonstrated it by her sudden confident determination to go into the Emporium.

The ironic thing about choosing the Emporium as Eli's first outing is that Clara and Flora were just about the only people Val could have told the truth to about Eli, and not be worried that it would get out. Partly this was because they were such good friends, but even more it was because Clara and Flora had their own secret which, by their own admition, they had only shared with Val. Even though both women were married, they were lesbians, and deeply in love with each other. Even their respective husbands didn't know. But now was not the time to stack the deck. Eli had to be supremely confident that this triumph was hers, and hers alone.

The shopping was a rousing success, with Clara and Flora both fussing over Eli like the darling princess she was. They had her try on over a dozen different dresses, and ultimately they walked out with six new dresses for Eli, as well as a few darling housecoats for doing work around the house. They even arranged for Clara and Flora to come over for dinner with their husbands later in the week. That was risky, because Val would somehow have to explain why her husband wasn't there, but she had some time to figure out a plausible lie. Perhaps a family emergency, since Eli's father was old and not in the best of health. All-in-all, however, it worked even better than Val could have planned it.

Once they were back in the car, Val asked, "How do you feel, dear?"

 

[DreamingOfMyEx]

("How do you feel, dear?")

"I wonder if they're going to make love tonight." Could Eli be referring to Clara and Flora? Was she really so perceptive that she could see what no one else in town would ever suspect in their wildest dreams? "Bill and Sue" as if anyone needed clarification. There was no way Eli suspected the two women, though had she been more focused on Val's own earlier admission of inappropriate behavior with other women she might have at least suspected something. But no, Bill had simply been ... too close. His look too lustful. His grip on her hips too tight. "I hope they do, and I hope he's thinking of me when they do."

That wasn't exactly an answer to Val's question -- or was it?

"Thank you for all the pretty things, I'm so excited to be doing this. Who do I have to thank for the purchase, you or your husband? No wait, I already know. You're the one who should receive the thanks, even if he's the one who worked to earn the money to pay for it. Isn't that the way things should be? The natural order of things for pretty girls like us?"

Far from wanting to go back to the safety of the house, Eli was ready to do some more exploring. Not necessarily shopping, just being out and about. Wanting to be seen. Wanting to be admired. Wanting to be lusted after.

"You know I'm perfectly okay with you being with another man - any man you want - as many men as you want. I was just wondering" she continued, trying to sound nonchalant - trying not to sound like it would hurt her feelings if Val slept with the bully Max, "if there's someone in particular you might be interested in. I mean, someone other than Max, obviously." Turning to her and putting her hand on Val's forearm - no longer husband and wife but best girlfriends sharing secrets about boys. "Tell me while we go.. I don't know, someplace we can have some fun. Where do girls like us go for fun?"

 

[SexyVita]

After her initial confusion, Val burst out laughing. "Oh darling, I can almost guarentee that he will fuck Sue absolutely silly tonight, thinking about the darling princess he saved from imminent doom on the sidewalk today. Just you watch, if Sue is walking funny in church on Sunday, you'll know exactly what happened!"

"Thank you for all the pretty things, I'm so excited to be doing this. Who do I have to thank for the purchase, you or your husband? No wait, I already know. You're the one who should receive the thanks, even if he's the one who worked to earn the money to pay for it. Isn't that the way things should be? The natural order of things for pretty girls like us?"

Val smiled, while keeping her eyes on the darkening road ahead. It was funny to hear Eli talk about her male persona in the third person. It was one thing for Val to do it, but to hear Eli talk that way was comical. "Well, between you and me, you already know, but in general, you should always be sure to thank a man if he gives you something, or even pays for something. Men like to feel that they're needed and appreciated, especially when they're afraid a women could get by without them. Most men have such fragile egos. But in this case, I think you can be excused from thanking my husband."

"You know I'm perfectly okay with you being with another man - any man you want - as many men as you want. I was just wondering if there's someone in particular you might be interested in. I mean, someone other than Max, obviously." It was obvious to Val that Eli really didn't want her to have sex with Max and was perhaps hoping to get her thinking of someone else. But her husband Eli, was no longer part of Val's thinking when considering potential sex partners. He'd ceded that place in her thoughts when he'd chosen to become the beautiful woman, Eli. "Tell me while we go.. I don't know, someplace we can have some fun. Where do girls like us go for fun?"

Val chortled at that. "Oh, my precocious little flower! An hour ago you were practically afraid of your own shadow, terrified that someone might recognize you, and all it took was one man lusting after you on the sidewalk and a shopping trip for you to blossom." Val took a left at the next intersection and after a couple more turns they were on the road that lead towards Bedford. Bedford was little more than a company town for employees of Grubber Aeronautics. Those who could afford it lived in Springfield Falls, those who couldn't, lived in Bedford. Bedford had been founded mostly so that the influx of workers during the war didn't overrun Springfield Falls and change the nature of the charming country town. That had happened anyway, despite then best efforts of the city counsil, but to a lesser degree than it would have if Bedford didn't exist.

Besides being a bedroom community for Grubber, Bedford's biggest claims to fame were its abundance of bars and liquor stores. It was for that reason that Val was headed there. Eli might not have realized it, but for nearly four years while Eli was in school, Val lived in Bedford in a small apartment above a bar. It had been a different time and Val had been a different woman back then, freer, wilder, and more than capable of holding her own in armwrestling or even a brawl.

As she drove, she tried to answer Eli's question. "As for other men? Well there's Dan Hanson, but I doubt I could tear him away from that young wife of his." Dan was the chief engineer at Grubber and technically Eli's boss. He'd married late, to a woman much younger than him, who if the gossip could be believed, was an absolute hellcat in bed. And Val could believe it, she'd seen the dark circles under Dan's eyes and knew how much coffee he drank everyday. She was sure he couldn't be getting much sleep each night, and his wife Vicky was rarely seen anywhere before 1:00 PM.

Val couldn't help but tweek Eli a bit. "I mean, he's no Max below the belt, but he's still twice the man my husband is," she thought for a moment, "And then there was this guy, Ralph, I think his name was, before I was engaged to Eli. He lives here in Bedford, but I haven't seen him in a long while. He doesn't work for Grubber, he owns a service station and garage in Bedford." Val giggled, "His hands were always dirty, and so was he, in bed. I always left his place pleasantly sore and with grease marks all over!"

Eventually Val pulled up in front of one of the seediest looking bars Eli had ever seen. It just wasn't the kind of place male Eli would have dared to walk into. "Now, I know this place looks like a dive, and it is, but you won't find better music and dancing anywhere in the county. And the men, well, most of them work in the factory at Grubber, so I'm sure you can imagine. They can be a little rough, but once they see you're with me, no one should take any liberties you don't want them to. The bar was actually down a few steps from the street, and aside from a few neon beer signs, the only other sign just said, Matt's Bar & Billards.

Val led Eli down the steps and through the door. Once inside, the place was a cacophony of conversations, billard balls, and music. The place looked like it had been built out of secondhand... everything. No two chairs or tables seemed to match. The bar itself looked like it had been torn from a fancy hotel, but awkwardly reshaped to fit in a smaller space. Even the bar glasses didn't match each other. The tables were jammed together in a tight array to make room for the dance floor, which was basically just empty floorspace. Space that was currently filled with enthusiastic, if rather inebriated dancers.

Val led Eli to the bar where they perched on two adjacent barstools waiting for the bartender to notice them. When he did, he took one look at Val, and whistled. "Well, I'll be damned! If it isn't Vaaaal-le-rieeeee Spencer. Never in all my days did I figure I'd see you here again."

"Hi Matt, I've told you to call me Val a million times," Val said to the bartend with a smile.

"Oh no, that I just can't do Miss Vaaal-le-rieeee. Though I heard you got married, so I suppose I should call ya Misses now. Can't remember the fella's name though. But whose this delightful darling you have with you, and what the hell are two purdy ladies like you doing in a bar like mine?"

Val laughed, "This is Eli, she's my husband's cousin in town for a visit and I thought I'd show her the 'local flavor' for a little girls' night out."

Matt snorted, "Well, I guess if you wanted local, this is about as local as it gets. Besides you, everyone here lives within walking distance. As for flavor, I don't know. Most nights this place tastes like sweat and desperation."

"Well, mostly we came for the dancing. I'm not up to armwrestling anymore. But, set us each up with two whiskeys neat to start. We need to get our courage up to dance with this crowd."

"Coming right up. Don't remind me about the armwrestling," he said with a frown that was only half serious, "I lost a bundle betting against you until I realized you put some kinda evil eye on your opponents. I mean, you were strong, Miss Vaaal-le-rieee, but some of those bouts ya won shouldn'ta been possible without Vooooodooooo!" Matt waggled his hand as he said the last word, then he poured their whiskeys and then moved down the bar to wait on another patron.

Val took one of her glasses and downed the whole thing in one long gulp. She looked at Eli, who seemed unsure of what to do. "Come on, drink up. If you want to fit in here, you drink like the locals do."

 

[DreamingOfMyEx]

Despite the enthusiasm with which Eli was embracing her new female persona, this was still turning out to be a very bumpy road for her. She didn’t particularly like the male version of Eli, but neither did she hate him. She hated being him, but listening to Val she realized she didn’t hate him. Instead, she started feeling sorry for him, knowing now the degree to which his own wife disrespected him. In a sense, it was like Val was ripping male Eli’s soul from his body to make room for a new one, and while it might have been necessary, that didn’t make it hurt any less.

So, he wasn’t her first. He probably wasn’t even among her first dozen. How stupid could he be? Seeing her every chance he got as he was struggling to make it through college, thinking she was the epitome of the good Christian girl - waiting for him. How it hurt to realize half the working class workers at Grubber must have been laughing at him behind his back for the past decade. If they hadn’t been with Val personally, they certainly knew someone who had. Yes, she was sorry for depriving Val of her fun for all those years they had been married, but it wasn’t fun to know how much Val despised him for it.

Maybe Eli needed to be put through this, but it wasn’t a pleasant thing to go through. Maybe by putting Val’s husband Eli to rest, that could put the hurt and embarrassment to rest also.

Eli’s continence on entering the bar was not only from the discomfort she felt being in that sort of establishment, but it was also that male part of Eli still inside who didn’t want to see this sort of place from the inside, and didn’t want to see Val inside this sort of place. Still, she promised Val she would do “anything”, and this was a thing Val wanted to do.

Eli remained silent except when good manners required her to speak, softly saying something like “it’s nice to meet you” to the bartender even though it wasn’t nice to meet him, or anyone else in this place. She was every bit the lightweight as male Eli had been when it came to alcohol. Not that she couldn’t handle one drink, but she had to work not to cough when she swallowed, and knew if she drank a second one she would be starting to feel the influence.

The establishment had a feel to it, that feel that says there aren't many customers here at the moment, but it's that time to start filling up. Eli hadn't spent a lot of time in bars, but she knew they were going to start being approached by men wanting to get to know them better. Maybe the combination of Val's history here (even thought it was over ten years ago) and the fact many of them would recognize her as Grubber's secretary, would provide some incentive to mind their manners. Still, Eli wasn't sure this is where she wanted to be.

“Val” she whispered above the music and constant din of voices - she was always talking in whispers now as that was the best way to control her voice and ensure it remained 100% female. “No offense but I’m not comfortable in here. I … I wanted…” she trailed off, then drained the last of the whiskey in her glass. “This just isn’t the sort of place I envisioned Eli going. I don’t want… greasy handprints.” This was a difficult conversation for her to be having with Val, and much of it was simply having to deal with her newfound knowledge that Val was too much at home here. “I know I said I will do anything you wanted, but … but this sort of anything … I uhhh …”

In mid-sentence she trailed off, distracted by something over Val’s shoulder. Someone coming through the entrance. It took a moment for her to regain her train of thought. “Just .. I don’t want.. greasy handprints.”

What Eli found so distracting was a man who had just entered the bar. Actually, three men had just come in together, but Val could easily guess which one caught Eli’s eye. Tom Connors, a new hire at Grubber who had just gotten out of the Air Force where he worked on jet engines. Naturally, Val had noticed him at work as all the new hires are required to go through the meet-the-boss process during orientation. This was the first time Eli had laid eyes on him. It was safe to say that Eli found him … distracting.

Then, from out of left field, Eli asked Val how old she looked.

 

[SexyVita]

Val was just downing her second whiskey when Eli whispered to her, “Val, no offense but I’m not comfortable in here. I … I wanted…” she trailed off, then drained her whiskey as if trying to find the courage to say what she wanted to say, “This just isn’t the sort of place I envisioned Eli going. I don’t want… greasy handprints.”

Val chuckled, but it wasn't mean spirited, she put her hand on Eli's arm supportively. "Of course not, dear. You're too much of a princess for that. The men here clean up before coming to Matt's. Well, most of them anyway."

“I know I said I will do anything you wanted, but … but this sort of anything … I uhhh …”

Eli trailed off and it only took a moment for Val to find the source of the distraction. “Just .. I don’t want.. greasy handprints,” Eli continued almost dreamily, her eyes locked on the tall former airman who had just entered the bar. In one of those moments that would have been worthy of a Hollywood movie, Tom seemed to sense Eli's eyes on him, and one look was all it seemed to take. He said something to his companions, who smiled and laughed, and then started winding his way alone through the tables towards the bar.

"That one cleans up well," Val said with a smile, "Though I dare say he's all yours already." Eli who moments ago was trying to convince Val to take her out of there, suddenly asked Val how she looked. "Oh darling," Val started with a reassuring look, "you look as beautiful as the rising sun after a storm."

Reaching the bar, Tom stopped to talk briefly with Matt, and then slid onto the barstool next to Eli with three glasses. "Matt said you ladies were drinking whiskey, so do me the honor of accepting one on me." He passed one to each of them. Val accepted hers with a nod of appreciation. "Mrs. Morrison, I know we've met, but who is your delightful companion?"

"Tom, this is my husband's cousin, Eli," she then turned to Eli, "Eli, this is Tom Connors. He just got out of the Air Force about a month ago, and now he's working at Grubber." Then, with a wink to Tom that Eli couldn't see, Val turned to face the bar, pointedly ignoring Tom and Eli, tacitly giving her approval to Tom, or at least indicating that his interest in Eli was none of hers.

 

[DreamingOfMyEx]

Once again Eli was starting to swing the other direction - fearful of what this encounter with a man could hold. With Bill, father of the rembunctuous twins, everything happened so quickly she didn't have time to think -- plus, he did prevent her from falling. But now with this guy ... Tom-something was it? I really need to start listening more carefully. With Tom, it was too deliberate, and now Eli had too much time to think about what could go wrong.

What the hell was she doing here, anyway? Looking for a husband? Looking for a one night stand? A one night stand with any guy in the bar would be her last night on Earth. And, was she really as pretty as Val claimed she was?

Shit, if only there were a mirror .... oh damn, there IS a mirror. How could she be so nervous and self-conscious to not notice it.

In this case the mirror behind the bar (and behind all those random bottles) wasn't as helpful as the one at Val's vanity, or even the average restroom -- but this mirror did have some advantages over the other. For one, Eli enjoyed seeing more of herself - whatever was visible above the bar - and the background behind her. She was, indeed, a lovely creature, was she not?

"Tom, is it? What is it you do for Grubber? Did you work with airplanes in the Air Force, too?"

She would sip her drink slowly. It was her second of the evening, following close in the heels of the first, and two was her limit. Any more than that and she might ... oh dear, that was even too dangerous to even think about.

 

[SexyVita]

By this point Val was pretty good at telling when Eli was thinking too much, and when she was close to her breaking point, and that point seemed to be rapidly approaching... again. And while Val was not generally in favor of boozing up her friends until they did something reckless, Val didn't want all her hard work to go up in smoke, which it almost certainly would if Eli backed down now. Her ego was just too brittle at this point to fully recover from that. Besides, Eli had said she wanted to have fun tonight, so Val was just helping her along when she ordered two more whiskeys from Matt and then poured both into one glass, figuring Eli would be too distracted with Tom to really notice what she was doing. Tom did notice, and Val just gave him a conspiritorial wink as she deftly slipped the glass into Eli's hand. Val figured that if that much whiskey wasn't enough for Eli to loosen up and stop thinking so hard about everthing, no amount would be.

She decided that at this point it was out of her hands and started considering how she might get her own needs met tonight. The problem was, nearly everyone in here knew who she was, and for most of them she was the Right Hand of God to Mr. Grubber. Rarely did someone get in to see John without going through Val first. If you couldn't convince Val you were worth Mr. Grubber's time, you were out of luck. The fact that John trusted her implicitly to guard his time made her a near impenetrable obstacle if she chose to be. As such most of the employee's would be afraid to approach her for fear of getting on her bad side.

But, although she'd never done it before, she could probably use her position to her advantage if she chose the right target. Scanning the bar, she spotted Victor Hensley. Victor was one of the engine mechanics on the F1G prototype. Like Tom, he was former military fighter mechanic, but Navy rather than Air Force. Victor had desperately been trying to get in to see John for several weeks. He claimed there was a major flaw in the craft's single engine that could cause it to lose power in flight and lead to a crash. Val had told him to bring it up to the engineers, which he claimed to have done, but they had just brushed aside his concerns.

As smart as she was, Val was not an engineer, nor an engine mechanic, but she believed, quite reasonably, that if the engineers had looked the supposed problem over and decided it wasn't really a problem, then it most likely wasn't. The fact that the F1G hadn't crashed yet seem to validate that. But Victor had been growing increasingly insistant, despite Val's efforts to keep him from Mr. Grubber. She supposed that she could offer Victor an exchange, one that, if his concerns were valid, should be a win/win for both of them.

While all this was going through her head, she'd been listening to the conversation between Tom and Eli, and everything seemed to going well. Tom had told her about the work he was doing at Grubber, and Eli had complimented him and said how important it was to have good men working to support the defense of the country, both in the military and in the private sector. Val leaned over to whisper in Eli's ear. "I'll be back in a bit, sweetie. You're doing great. If he asks you to dance, say 'Yes!'"

 

[DreamingOfMyEx]

"Shall I go with you?" Eli knew Val wouldn't leave her to the wolves on their first night out, so she naturally assumed Val was going to the Ladies Room or something equally benign. She knew women always went to the ladies room in pairs, though in all her years as a man she never knew why. That's why she started to get a little concerned when Val told her no.

"Wait, are you .....?" she whispered in a more concerned tone, while also trying not to arouse Tom's suspicions that anything was wrong. It was too late, Val was gone.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes, fine," she responded, trying to pretend everything was normal and she wasn't terrified of being alone with him for an indefinite period.

"Would you care to dance?"

Eli hesitated to answer. Val had just instructed her to say yes, but she wasn't sure she was ready.

"I would, but ... there's something I need to tell you first." She took another sip of her drink as she still tried to formulate her thoughts and figure out how to convert them into words. "I really don't know how to dance, not very well. And I don't drink, normally. And there are other things I don't do -- it's my fairly strict Baptist upbringing. So here I am in a bar with cousin Valerie, who ordered me one drink, and you just gave me another, and now you're asking me to dance. I want to, but, I need you to be patient and gentle with me, and also understand how uncomfortable I am in this environment. And that it's just a dance. Do you understand?"

"Of course, I understand completely and promise to be a perfect gentleman" he responded, rising and holding his hand out to her. "Did anyone ever tell you that you sound like Marilyn Monroe?"

 

[SexyVita]

Val wasn't sure what did the trick, but she didn't think it had been the whiskey, since there just hadn't been enough time, but she saw with a smile that Eli and Tom were headed for the dance floor. One of the reasons the music and dancing were so good here, despite Matt's dive bar status, was they had a really good live house band, that played on Friday and Saturday nights. Come to Matt's any other night, and it was a much quieter place, mostly just the hard core regulars. Once Val had been one of them, but that almost felt like another lifetime.

Val slid into the booth where Victor was sitting alone. "Vic, we need to talk." He looked at her, obviously surprised not only to find her at his table, but in the bar at all. Without saying anything he just motioned for Val to continue. "Look, I know I've been putting you off about getting in to see John about that engine issue. And I'll admit, I still feel justified in sticking to that," she smiled and reached over and put her hand lightly on Victor's arm. "However, I could arrange for you to see Mr. Grubber, in exchange for something I don't think you would mind giving me. I do have to be careful with who I let in to see the boss, because John trusts me to do just that. If I start regularly allowing what may be unimportant or trivial matters to come to him, I could lose that trust."

"Val, this is important!" Vic said urgently.

"I know you believe that it is, and honestly, if even one of the engineers had backed you up, I'd have already had you into see him." Val started sliding her hand lightly along Victor's arm in a way that was clearly having an effect on him. "But if you just do one little thing for me tonight, I'll make sure you get in to see him on Monday."

"Wha... what could I possibly have that you would want?" Victor stammered.

Val smiled at him with that smile she had that just stopped men, and sometimes women, in their tracks. Val was intimidating to a lot of men, but she was also beautiful and could be drop-dead sexy when she wanted to be. She put a little pout on her face, "You can't have any idea what it's like being married to a man like Eli. I mean, I love him, and he's a good provider, but I have needs that Eli just can't meet." She gave Victor a very pointed look that there was no way he could misinterpret. "Please... just tonight, no strings, and you'll be meeting with John on Monday."

Even with all Val's charm, Victor waivered for a moment, torn between his desire to prevent a tragedy, and his nervousness at what Val was suggesting. Eventually, his lust for Val tipped the balance and he just said, "Um... where?"

Val smiled radiantly, "Follow me," she said sliding out of the booth looking impossibly graceful and elegant. She led Victor across to the bar. Motioning to Matt, she leaned in, and whispered, "I need to use your back room."

Matt looked from Val to Victor and just shrugged, "Val, you know mi casa es su casa."

Val gave Matt a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks Matt, you're the best barkeep in Bedford!"

"Damn right," Matt muttered as she turned away.

She led Victor to the bar's storage room, checking on Eli as they went, who was still dancing, then pulled him inside, and locked the door behind them.

 

[DreamingOfMyEx]

It was only that morning that Eli had been secretly dressing as a woman for reasons not fully understood - pretending to be beautiful and sexy and dancing with a handsome man who wanted her badly. Through some incredible turn of events she was now experiencing the reality - publically and with a real man, not one she had to invent and pretend was present. A few hours might not be sufficient time to change every aspect of one's life, but remarkable progress had been made.

Eli danced a dance with Tom, and it was incredible! Val had gone somewhere, Eli didn't know where, and during the course of the dance Eli had forgotten about Valerie and was entirely focused on being the object of one man's fantasy - and her fantasy too. It wasn't about wanting the man, it was about wanting the man to want her. Oh, but to feel his hand on her back, the other one holding hers. Just like in the Goldilocks story - not too hard, not too soft. Just right.

Eli held Tom's hand as he led her not back to the bar, but to an empty table, pulling out the chair for her to sit. It occurred to her that was another first in a day of firsts - a day full of firsts that would definitely happen again for her. Making herself look pretty before going out. Flirting with men. Shopping for girl things. Having men buy her drinks. Dancing with men. Being held by men. Having men pull out chairs for her. Eli reflected on things men have not done for her - yet. No man has yet held a door for her. No man has asked her for a date. And of course she has never been kissed by a man. You had your chance to be the first, Bill she thought to herself. Now it seemed Tom was the most likely man to earn that honor.

It was odd for Eli to have someone focused on her, though. The earlier version, in male form, was never interesting to anyone. Nobody cared about where he came from, or his favorite color, or favorite dessert, or his opinion on the weather or the new road they were putting in north of town. But in her current manifestation, she was the center of attention. Her background and her opinions would matter for some reason. This was yet another thing Eli would need to get used to. For now, she realized she wasn't as good at thinking on her feet as she wished. Telling Max she was Eli's cousin may have been an inspired moment, but it was a fluke. So Eli tried as much as possible to turn the conversation back to Tom. And what man doesn't mind an opportunity to brag on himself to a beautiful woman?

It was not necessarily Tom's mechanical aptitude that got him that job at Grubber, but his government security clearance. This wasn't something Tom had to tell her, it's something she gleened from the conversation when he let slip a couple of little things that indicated he worked "behind the green door" - a hanger that had been painted in an interesting light pale green color the Navy uses on the interior of its ships for some unknown reason. Perhaps it was done at Grubber to to make the ex sailors feel at home? Or perhaps it was some friendly interservice rivalry going on? Or maybe Grubber just got a deal on the paint. At any rate, that was the term bandied about Grubber to indicate the facility where cutting edge technology that couldn't be talked about was being played with. Eli had never been inside. He might have had the right level of clearance, but he didn't have the need to be there. Apparently Tom did.

Not that any of that mattered to Eli now, it was just one of those little details she took note of before he asked her to dance again. It appeard they were now "together" and she didn't have to worry about men with greasy hands pestering her to dance.

---

"While we were dancing I noticed a table no one was using tucked away around the corner over there. I'll bet we can talk more privately ..."

It was she who suggested it, not Tom. It occurred to Eli that she was taking the lead now in all her interactions with him. His hand had started to slide down closer to her ass while they were dancing, she moved it back up and patted it to indicate it was to remain in place. Later his hand started to go up and around like he wanted to cop a feel of her breasts - again she moved it back where it belonged, giving him a look that spoke volumes, and there it stayed.

They picked up their glasses and moved to the table Eli had pointed out, and when Top pulled out her chair for her, Eli didn't sit. Instead, she pushed him down onto the chair, then straddled his lap - facing him. Gulping down the last swallow in her glass - meaning she'd had four drinks now (or was it five? no, four she thought. she really needs to pay closer attention to these things) she set her glass down on the table then grabbed Tom's wrists, holding them down to his side.

It wasn't Tom who kissed Eli, as Eli had been fantasizing would happen three drinks earlier -- there was no doubt it was Eli who was kissing Tom.

Of course a man's hands have to be doing something when he's kissing a woman, right? No, the slightest movement of his arms only caused Eli to grip tighter. Her kisses were forceful, controlling, dominating. She wasn't merely kissing him, she was taking what she wanted from him, and letting him know he had no choice in the matter.

Not that he cared at that moment, but it could have far-reaching implications for at least one of them down the road, maybe both of them.

Then Eli began grinding herself against Tom's hard (and significantly larger than hers) cock. There was no way that in the excitement and through all that clothing Tom could detect a penis inside those panties, of that Eli was sure.

But dammit, a man's gotta do something with his hands when he is kissing and grinding against a sexy woman, right? The more he tried to move anything but his hips, the more Eli tightened her grip. Soon her fingernails were digging into his wrists, and she was craving the day she could let them grow longer - just one more part of her sexy body she would use to control men.

Before long Tom's breathing changed and he was emitting something between a growl and groan -- whispering something about cumming soon.

"Oh no you don't you bastard. You wait for me." She tightened her grip even more as her thrusts starting coming harder and faster. Eli knew how quickly a man could lose interest after an orgasm.

"I.. c..can't.. wait"

"I said wait for me god dammit!"

"I.. I... " it was too late. Tom lost all control at that point as all his muscles stiffened for a moment, then he literally slumped down in his chair.

"God dammit" Eli growled at him - she wasn't finished yet, and she continued to grind against the nearly lifeless body of her first kiss.

"I ... said ... wait ... for ... me" she grunted as she thrust harder and harder with each word until ... "Fuuuccckkkkkk" she cried out. Tom, looking up at her through weary eyes that had not yet recovered from his own orgasm, could only think how beautful she was when she came. A beautiful glow seemed to come over her face, a beautiful satisfied smile, and her eyes seemed to roll back a bit before her lids slowly closed for a bit, then opened again.

Eli smiled down at him, licking her lips... then her look turned hard and disapproving and she slapped him - hard - across the face. "I said wait for me, you bastard." Before Tom could process any of this, Eli was out of his lap and strutting back toward the bar - a little amazed with herself and fully aware with each step her little penis was sliding around her panties in what was for her a rather substantial puddle of her own semen. She hoped all that clothing would keep it from rising to the surface.

Once seated, she pulled out the compact from the clutch Val had provided to touch up her makeup, wondering where Val had gone and when she would return. As much as Eli would love to stay out all night, eventually the mess she made in her panties would grow annoying.

 

[SexyVita]

As soon as the door was locked, Val was kissing Victor hard while unbelting, and unzipping, his pants at the same time. No sooner had she pulled his pants halfway down his knees than she knelt in front of him, pushing him back against the door as she swallowed as much of his already hard cock as she could in one go. She only got about halfway down his shaft at first. She'd never realized that Victor was so well endowed. He wasn't especially girthy, but he was long, at least ten inches, maybe a bit more.

Val shivered in anticipation of having a cock that deep inside her after years of nothing but Eli and her own fingers. Val worked herself further down on Victor's dick with each stroke, and she grabbed Victor's hands and placed them behind her head. Tentative at first, it didn't take long before Victor was pulling her down on his cock and Val was gagging on it as he pistoned it down her throat. Far from being upset by this, Val was loving it and her panties were getting moist from her own juices. Victor was moaning but eventually he pulled her clear of his dick. "If you want me to fuck you, you'd better stop."

Val smiled up at him, "I'm not worried, and I want to taste you," she purred as she slid back onto his shaft all the way to his balls.

"Oh Fuck!" Victor cried as he immediately shot his load into Val throat. Val was just so sexy, maintaining eye contact with him the whole time that Victor couldn't hold back. Val held him in her mouth until he stopped cumming, gagging slightly. Despite being so deep in her throat, some of his load managed to escape her lips, dripping down her chin.

After wiping Victor's cum off her face, Val stood up and propped herself on a stack of two wooden crates with whiskey bottles in them and pulled her panties off. "Come on, lick me while you recover." Victor was apparently no stranger to eating a woman, because he needed no encouragement or instruction. He just got between her legs and started licking. Val's arousal was rapidly building and he quickly had her moaning, but Val didn't want to come this way right now. If she wanted an oral orgasm, she'd rather get it from Eli, who looked so much cuter between Val's thighs. "I want you to fuck me now!" Val commanded when she could see that Victor had regained his erection.

Again, Victor needed little encouragement at this point, having entirely forgotton that he was fucking the CEO's executive assistant and focused only on the beautiful, sexy woman in front of him. It took Val's breath away when he slid his long dick into her. She could barely remember the last time she'd felt this deliciously full. Victor pumped her vigorously and although their orgasms were not perfectly synconized, Val didn't mind as long as she came first. Victor, having already come once, took a minute or two longer before filling Val pussy with another huge load.

The storage room was not the sort of place for enjoying post-coital bliss. So they both quickly restored their clothes to a semblance of order and Val unlocked the door. She started to open it only to here a voice that sounded like Eli's breathy whisper saying, "Oh no you don't you bastard. You wait for me." Val peered out through the crack in the door and had a perfect view of Eli dry humping Tom. Tom's face made it obvious he was at the edge, and Eli was frantically grinding against him trying to achieve the same state.

Val motioned to Victor and they both watched quietly while Tom came first and then Eli a minute or so after still grinding herself against the now completely dazed former airman. Eli was obviously the one in control of the entire situation, and when she got up and slapped Tom hard across the face, Val could scarcely believe that this fiesty, delicate beauty was her husband. What kind of monster have I let loose? she wondered. Tom took a few moments to recover before standing and walking towards the bathroom, still looking bemused.

Once he was gone, Val openned the door and said to Victor, "I'll see you on Monday," before stepping out and heading for the bar, where Eli was just freshening her lipstick while looking at herself in the little compact mirror. Val sat on the stool next to her and motioned to Matt to bring her one more drink which she finished in one long sip. Turning to Eli she said, "That was quite the performance back there in the corner. You're becoming quite the tart. Do that too many times and you might become known as the 'Slut Princess of Bedford,'" she concluded with a wicked twinkle in her eyes. "So have you had enough 'fun' for tonight?"

 

[DreamingOfMyEx]

Eli - or rather her emotions - were like a pendelum, swinging from one extreme to the other and never staying in one place for very long. She was in the process of swinging in the direction of what the hell am I doing? when Val sat next to her.

"You saw that??? But ... how? That table was out of sight." One thing was clear, she was NOT going to be known as the slut princess, of Bedford or anyplace else. There's a difference between a slut doing slutty things, and a goddess doing goddess things. She said as much to Val. "No greasy handprints for me. I'm too good for any of them, and so are you, and everyone knows it. Tom is the most handsome desirable man in this place, and ... well, you saw what I did? I used him for what I wanted to use him for. If he doesn't understand that yet, if he thinks any of that was for him, then he's in for a rude awakening."

The pendulum, apparently, had stopped swinging. If Eli was going to be a beautiful sexy woman, it was going to be on her terms. (With Val's consent, of course.)

("So have you had enough 'fun' for tonight?")

"I don't know, but I would like to change my panties" she smiled. "Do you know of any other sort of fun activites around this otherwise boring place? Something more fit for a goddess than a slut? Something that doesn't involve alcohol. I think I already had, ummm ..." so adorable the way she pressed her lips together as she was thinking .. "three or four. Or maybe five."

If Val had other ideas, Eli was feeling plenty adventuresome - but if Val suggested they call it a night and go home, Eli wouldn't object. After all, tomorrow was another day, and she had a lot of training to do.

 

[SexyVita]

"You saw that??? But ... how? That table was out of sight."

Val smiled, "I was in the storage room with Victor Hensley. That table is right outside the door. I wouldn't really have been watching, but I didn't really want Tom to see Victor and I walk out of the storage room, so we had to watch and wait until you left."

"No greasy handprints for me. I'm too good for any of them, and so are you, and everyone knows it. Tom is the most handsome desirable man in this place, and ... well, you saw what I did? I used him for what I wanted to use him for. If he doesn't understand that yet, if he thinks any of that was for him, then he's in for a rude awakening."

"Well, I suppose you are too good for this rabble," she sighed, "and you're probably right about me too, even though this used to be 'my crowd.' So have you had enough 'fun' for tonight?"

"I don't know, but I would like to change my panties" she smiled. "Do you know of any other sort of fun activites around this otherwise boring place? Something more fit for a goddess than a slut? Something that doesn't involve alcohol. I think I already had, ummm ..." Eli pursed her lips together quite adorably as she thought, "three or four. Or maybe five."

"A goddess are we now?" Val laughed with genuine mirth. She wasn't making fun, but she was definately amused. "Oh dear, I feel like Dr. Frankenstein. I've created a monster, although a very pretty one, and unleashed it on the unsuspecting world of men, and the men are not ready for it!" Turning a bit more serious she said, "I'll warn you though, goddesses do not have much fun. Oh it will feel great at first, but once a man puts you on a pedastal, you become both untouchable and, in some perverse way, his alone. Personally, I think I'd take a man who thought me a slut over one who idolized me."

"As for what there remains to do in Bedford or Springfield Falls, and for a goddess no less? Not much, especially at this time of night. Let's go home for tonight. If you really want more fun tomorrow, we can drive to Pineville and find a bit more excitement."

 

[sunsandsex22]

"Immense" enjoyment reading this

 

[DreamingOfMyEx]

("I'll warn you though, goddesses do not have much fun. Oh it will feel great at first, but once a man puts you on a pedastal, you become both untouchable and, in some perverse way, his alone. Personally, I think I'd take a man who thought me a slut over one who idolized me.")

"I suppose that will be the biggest difference between us, then. You were always beautiful, so you don't know what it's like to be like me" Eli responded with a hint of sadness in her voice, the alcohol promoting more reflection than she might otherwise have experienced. "No man will every treat me like a slut - not without paying the price."

Now sufficiently somber in the face of the realities that awaited her, she left the bar arm-in-arm with Val. Eli was only vaugely aware of the man who almost tripped over his own feet to open the door for them when they left - a Grubber employee whom Eli recognized but didn't know well. A week earlier the man had made some joke at Eli's expense among the blue collar workers on the job. Eli now knew how easily she could destroy his life if she wanted. That made her feel a little better.

"As much as I'd love to spend all day tomorrow in Pineville" she said in the car on the way home "that logical part of me says I should probably spend some of it at home ... training." She couldn't think of a more appropriate word at the moment. Perhaps, if she were completely honest with herself, she also needed time to think of that question that kept popping into her head ever since the transition: What the hell am I doing? Not that there were any doubts. Any time a doubt started to creep into her consciousness, all she had to do was recall what it was like being the male version and that thought quickly disappeared.

---

"I've been thinking. At some point, he'll need to disappear." Eli was seated on the sofa leafing through a fashion magazine. She was referring to Val's husband. "It isn't as if we can produce a body, so I was thinking he could be lost at sea. I haven't perfected the plan yet, but I thought I should mention it - and that we'll need to establish an identity for me before he goes." There was not much in the way of emotion in her voice - as serious as this was, it wasn't as if they would actually be killing anyone. "And someone who isn't Eli's cousin - that could be hard to explain to family. I like the idea of keeping the name Eli, though."

Their finances were in pretty good shape, and everything Val had made at her job was presumed to be tucked away in savings. (Val was the one who handled the household money, so Eli wasn't even aware of what she had and how much they had together, though he never needed to worry about the occasional purchases he made.) Then there was the life insurance. It could make things a bit more comlicated without a body, but surely they would have to pay eventually.

 

[SexyVita]

They were sitting in the livingroom taking a bit of break from the more rigorous parts of Eli's training. There was only so long you can stand or walk in high heels, and Eli was smart enough to take well to at least the rudiments of cooking, which was good, because Val planned to use her help cooking for next week's church social. So instead, Eli was fipping though the magazines that Val had brought out for her, particularly so she would be able to carry on a convincing conversation with other women, something that so far hadn't been neccessary, but would be essential tomorrow at church.

Val was working on her own fingernails, thinking of the conversation they'd had leaving the bar. She'd confessed to Eli that she did not really understand how she felt about herself, but not because she couldn't imagine feeling ugly. Whatever the reality, Val most certainly had felt ugly for years being the tallest, gangliest girl in her class. The reason she couldn't understand was that unlike him, she'd ultimately taken her differences and embraced them, while Eli had done the opposite and rejected his differences, at least until now.

It was while she was pondering all that the Eli said, "I've been thinking. At some point, he'll need to disappear. It isn't as if we can produce a body, so I was thinking he could be lost at sea. I haven't perfected the plan yet, but I thought I should mention it - and that we'll need to establish an identity for me before he goes. And someone who isn't Eli's cousin - that could be hard to explain to family. I like the idea of keeping the name Eli, though."

Val was silent for a moment, running through the ramifications of what Eli had said, "Well, that plan does have some advantages, but also some issues. I know you've said you don't want to go back to being a man, but my biggest concern in that is money." She looked at Eli while she continued to file her nails, "You may not be aware how much less women make in the workplace, but most women make only around half of what a man would make in the same position, and that's if they can achieve that position in the first place. That's been part of my advocacy work, trying to change that, so woman can earn equal pay and equal recognition in the workplace, but progress has been slow. I can't imagine your colleagues at Grubber accepting a female engineer, and I doubt anywhere else would be different. Even if they would, you'd be paid much less for the same work, and only given triffling things to work on, so earning a better paying job is almost impossible."

"Now, I don't want to go back to having to live in a small apartment above a bar in Bedford, and I'm sure you don't want that either. Now, if my husband were declared dead, I could perhaps remarry but I'd rather not. That just complicates everything," she said, examining one of her nails critically, "The other advantage to him being dead, would be the insurance money. Eli, the dear that he is, was very concerned that should anything happen to him, that I would be taken care of."

Val had in fact planted this very idea in Eli's head early in their marriage, not that it had taken much, Eli had always been devoted to her. "As a result, there is a sizable insurance policy with me as the sole beneficiary should Eli die." Val frowned, still focused on her nails. "The problem would be that without a body, it might take years before he was declared legally dead. In that time we could easily lose the house and the money we have invested in it already."

"However, I think I can address several drawbacks to the overall plan, but to do it, I may need something from you as well. But don't worry about that for now, just focus on making a good impression tomorrow, and perhaps, if you see Tom at church tomorrow you may want to drop a few hints that if he's a very good boy and does everything you ask of him, there may be more than what you did to him last night."

 

[DreamingOfMyEx]

As Eli approached the 24 hour anniversary of her new life as a woman, the issues she and Val were facing seemed overwhelming. Almost. But with her newfound womanhood came a newfound sense of optimism that her male version had lacked. The male Eli tended to ignore problems he couldn't solve (so long as they were not engineering-related), but with each look in the mirror the new Eli reinforced the fact she was not a loser - that any problem she faced would be overcome. After all, she had already overcome the biggest problem of her life - the problem of being a weak male. A non-entity in so many people's eyes. Men who wouldn't welcome the old Eli into the circle of real men who hunted and fished and played full contact sports were now practically wrapping themselves around her little finger, trying to earn her favor.

A new birth certificate. A drivers license. A job. Those were not insurmountable problems for her and Val. They were just challenges that needed to be dealt with in the proper way at the proper time. As for being a female aeronautical engineer, that could be interesting - the only woman in an all male environment - and an attractive sexy woman at that. Of course they wouldn't take her seriously - and that would be their weakness. For Eli, it wasn't about the money, it was about the power. Using her sensuality to get what she wanted. She smiled as she thought of how she might start out being paid less than a man doing the same job, but that soon all those men would be answering to her.

Of course at that point it was just a dream - Getting her drivers license would be child's play compared to getting her professional credentials in order. Eli smiled as she realized there was no question of "if", but how and when she would make it happen. In the meantime, she would put some thought into the more immediate concerns, like how to kill Eli and get the insurance money.

Overseas she thought to herself. Another country, some place where things were a bit more "primitive". Perhaps a corrupt government official or two could help. Perhaps Val and her husband could take a vacation and she could return home with all the necessary documentation.

---

("However, I think I can address several drawbacks to the overall plan, but to do it, I may need something from you as well. But don't worry about that for now, just focus on making a good impression tomorrow, and perhaps, if you see Tom at church tomorrow you may want to drop a few hints that if he's a very good boy and does everything you ask of him, there may be more than what you did to him last night.")

Eli's thoughts snapped back to the present. Yes, it's only been 24 hours (plus a couple of hours here and there when she'd dressed up in the privacy of their own home in the past).

"Tom? Yes, I suppose. He let me get away with an awful lot last night. I'm not sure he'll be so compliant in the future. I mean, he had his orgasm which is what he wanted, then he hadn't had time to recover when I did what I did. I think in the future he won't...." she trailed off. Maybe he would, in the future. "Val, do you think he might be one of those men who - I don't even know what it's called - likes to be treated that way by women?"

Eli had some exposure to that sort of unusual sexual activity in the past. Pictures in magazines he shouldn't have been looking at, that sort of thing. It had turned him on for sure, only he would never in a million years ask Val to treat him that way. In a sense, he got some partial fulfillment of that need from the way she treated him anyway. Occasionally belittling him or bossing him around, or just acting like she was the mother and he the child and she ran the household.

Oh hell yes, that's excatly what Tom was! Eli was sure of it. And she was sure there were plenty of other men with those same fantasies - which she could use to manipulate them. Her first orgasm as a woman was as Val's lesbian lover. Her second was slapping a strong handsome man who hadn't done what she told him to do - and let her get away with it. Until now, Eli was focused on the ideas of teasing and seduction - and perhaps subsequent blackmail - of her unsuspecting victims. But this -- this was what she had unknowingly been aiming for the whole time.

"A very good boy" she whispered to herself, though Val could certainly hear her. "I'm going to like having good boys do what we want them to do."

She flipped a page to her fashion magazine. "Oh, that's pretty, but I think I would need hips for that."

 

[SexyVita]

Val made a final inspection of her nails while Eli considered what she'd said.

"Tom? Yes, I suppose. He let me get away with an awful lot last night. I'm not sure he'll be so compliant in the future. I mean, he had his orgasm which is what he wanted, then he hadn't had time to recover when I did what I did. I think in the future he won't.... Val, do you think he might be one of those men who - I don't even know what it's called - likes to be treated that way by women?"

"Tom? A submissive male? Well, I suppose it's possible, at least perhaps when it comes to the bedroom. I can't imagine him letting you belittle him or be in control if he thought anyone else could see. But in private, I suppose it's possible. "Some men who are in control all the time in public like a woman to take control in the bedroom." She smiled, like friends sharing secrets, "Also, I think some men are secretly insecure about their own attactiveness or... performance, so it strokes their ego to let the woman be in control. It also lets them off the hook, if the woman controls what happens, they figure they aren't really to blame if she doesn't have a good time."

After a bit, Val heard Eli whisper, "A very good boy. I'm going to like having good boys do what we want them to do." Val smiled slightly and shook her head, but Eli was too engrossed in her own thoughts and the magazine in front of her to notice. "Look what a monster I've created!" Val thought, "Give her half a chance and she'll eat a man for lunch!"

"Oh, that's pretty, but I think I would need hips for that," Eli said, holding the magazine so Val could see it.

Val flicked her eyes to the magazine Eli was holding. "Hmmmm, yes. I imagine so. For the moment at least, we'll have to stick to dresses with higher waists and flared skirts. But I have some ideas about that too, when the time comes. Keep looking though those, I have few calls to make."

---

Val decided to make her calls in the guest room for two reasons. One, it was the furthest from the livingroom which gave her some physical privacy, and second, she had actually had the phone in the guest room wired to a seperate line. She handled the household and the bills, so there'd been no reason to tell her husband. If he'd ever noticed, she would have told him it was so that when they had guests, they would be able to make calls without interrupting anyone on the main line. But the real reason had been so Val herself could make calls without worrying that Eli would pick up another extention and overhear her conversation.

During her advocacy for women's and workers' rights, Val had met a number of interesting people. Some of them were women that worked in places that could be useful in developing a new identity for Eli, including a file clerk down at the courthouse named Florence. Val was pretty sure, based on past comments that Florence had made, that if Val told her that Eli was trying to hide from an abusive ex-husband, she would be willing to help. And she was right, in fact she didn't even need to ask, Florence offered her help getting Eli a realistic birth certificate on file. Once that was done, getting other documents would be much easier. Even the lack of a Social Security number could be explained if it was claimed Eli had never worked before. Val thanked Florence and hung up.

Her next two calls were much shorter, as she just set up times and places to meet. These arraignments would be trickier, and risky, and neither Val, nor the people she called wanted to discuss them on the phone. To anyone listening it would have sounded innocent enough, just two friends or acquaitances making plans to meet for lunch or coffee. With that finished for now, she returned to the livingroom. She sat down, crossing her ankles as she did and then asked Eli, "What do you know about the Green Door projects at Grubber?"

 

[DreamingOfMyEx]

Eli was soaking this new information up like a sponge. A husband might have been concered that his wife knew far more about sex - and especially alternative sorts of sexual activities and relationships - than he or the average person knew. Had Val been experiencing things for herself that Eli wasn't aware of? That very thought - and concern over her possible infideliy - entered Eli's mind - for about a nanosecond. If Val was broadening her horizons sexually, it didn't matter whether it was before or after marriage. Now she was happy for Val. The more knowledgeable Val is in things such as this, the more valuable she can be as a friend and confidant. The sooner Val and her husband are divorced emotionally as well as physically, the sooner Eli can get on with her life.

Val's husband no longer had a place in their lives - or in this world. The sooner he was dead and buried the better.

("What do you know about the Green Door projects at Grubber?")

In an earlier life, Eli might have responded with a reminder he wasn't cleared for that information then ask why she was asking. That would not be a suitable response now that this new relationship had developed.

"There's the helicopter project which is common knowledge, but it's all but dead now. The only other thing I know of is they're doing something with the F1G. It's a pre-war design that was obsolete by 1943, but we keep finding new uses for it. Long range reconnaissance at sea, close air support for the Marines. But none of this has ever been Green Door worthy, so I don't know. There's no way it can be used to carry an atomic bomb, so that's not the reason for secrecy. I'm pretty sure they're trying to strengthen the wings and improve the engine. The Air Force already has half a dozen planes that could do the job - whatever the job is. So this has to be to carry a heavier load off an aircraft carrier."

Eli was not sounding the least bit concerned or conspiratorial in her response, as she casually flipped through the magazine and spoke as if she was discussing that they'd missed on television last night.

"I've noticed Phil Kellogg coming out of Hanger 13, he's the one that worked on modifying the wings on the EM-50 project. And Victor is no doubt doing something with the engine. And Tom - though I have no idea what he could be doing - just one of the worker bees maybe. We didn't spend a lot of time talking about his specialty - oh, Val, look at her hair. This is what I want." Eli spun the magazine around so Val could get a better look at the model in the picture. "If you think this will look good on me."

"Oh, and I found this interesting ... I saw an Ag-plane - you know, aerial spraying - a crop duster - taxi over into that area, but never saw it leave. Then in a meeting Phil announced very loudly that Grubber had tasked them with taking off all the spraying equipment and modifying it so he could use it for acrobatics. It seemed strange he would be trying so hard to make sure everyone knew it wasn't part of a Green Door project, but just one of Grubber's toys."

There was no 'why do you ask'. Val asked a question and Eli answered.

 

[SexyVita]

Val listened to Eli explain what he knew about the secret projects going on in the Green Door hanger, mostly to let Eli feel like she was helping. When Eli stopped to show her the hairstyle, Val nodded. It wasn't a style that Val liked for herself, generally prefering a rolled updo, but it would look good on Eli. "Yes, that would suit you, I think." The style was a short layered bob, where you used heated rollers to curl the hair and then loosened them using your fingers. But it was the inward-curled bangs that really defined the look. "Once you've grown out your hair, I can teach you how to style it that way. In the meanwhile, we'll get a high quality wig that can be styled like that."

Eli continued on, talking about the Ag-plane. Val actually knew a great deal about the Green Door projects, at least in general. Being the CEOs secretary, Val was cleared to handle and view Top Secret documents, though she rarely had the need to. Still, she handled all of John's outgoing correspondence, and much of the incoming as well. As a result she had a considerably better idea what was going on in Hanger 13.

"I agree that Phil's comments about the cropduster are suspicious. In fact, based on what I've seen coming through John's office, it would be my assumption that, in fact, it is the spraying equipment that is the important part, not the airplane. I also saw a recent order go through for synthetically made female hormones in a liquid base. I wonder if they could be planning to spray that? I'm not sure what purpose it would serve, though. I have read some information about these hormones though, that information is hardly classified. Apparently, they are being developed to help women with various hormonal issues, but they have also been tested on men. Where they found men willing to be tested on, I don't know, still, the effects were interesting. The men started to develop breasts, and their hips and buttocks became more rounded."

"I think we may want to try and get ahold of some of it, actually. It would help with your transformation. No amount of bra stuffing will ever match real breasts. And if you ever want to wear a slimmer style, say to work, for example, you're going to need hips to carry it off. The order was for 50 canisters, and if we can find a way to sneak one out, I don't imagine it would cause too much fuss. For that matter, I doubt we even need a whole canister."

"But enough of that for now, it's time to start dinner, and I'd like your help," Val said, standing up as gracefully as she'd sat down.